﻿662 
  Mutations 
  

  

  bracteatum 
  monopetalum. 
  Henry 
  de 
  Vilmorin 
  

   had 
  the 
  kindness 
  to 
  send 
  nae 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  

   plants, 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  flowered 
  in 
  my 
  garden 
  

   during 
  several 
  years. 
  The 
  anomaly 
  is 
  highly 
  

   variable. 
  Some 
  flowers 
  are 
  quite 
  normal, 
  ex- 
  

   hibiting 
  no 
  sign 
  of 
  connation 
  ; 
  others 
  are 
  wholly 
  

   gamopetalous, 
  the 
  four 
  petals 
  being 
  united 
  from 
  

   their 
  base 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  cup 
  formed. 
  

   In 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  broadness 
  of 
  the 
  petals 
  

   however, 
  this 
  cup 
  is 
  so 
  wide 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  

   shallow. 
  

  

  Intermediate 
  states 
  occur, 
  and 
  not 
  infre- 
  

   quently. 
  Sometimes 
  only 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  petals 
  

   are 
  united, 
  or 
  the 
  connation 
  does 
  not 
  extend 
  the 
  

   entire 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  petals. 
  These 
  cases 
  are 
  

   quite 
  analogous 
  to 
  the 
  imperfect 
  splitting 
  of 
  

   the 
  corolla 
  of 
  the 
  rhododendron. 
  Giving 
  free 
  

   rein 
  to 
  our 
  imagination, 
  we 
  may 
  for 
  a 
  moment 
  

   assume 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  subdivision 
  of 
  

   the 
  vegetable 
  kingdom, 
  arising 
  from 
  Vilmorin 
  's 
  

   poppy 
  and 
  having 
  gamopetalous 
  flowers 
  for 
  its 
  

   chief 
  character. 
  If 
  the 
  character 
  became 
  fixed, 
  

   so 
  as 
  to 
  lose 
  its 
  present 
  state 
  of 
  variability, 
  

   such 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  supposititious 
  gamopetalous 
  

   plants 
  might 
  be 
  quite 
  analogous 
  to 
  the 
  corre- 
  

   sponding 
  real 
  gamopetalous 
  families. 
  Hence 
  

   there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  objection 
  to 
  the 
  view, 
  that 
  the 
  

   heaths 
  have 
  arisen 
  in 
  an 
  analogous 
  manner 
  from 
  

   their 
  polypetalous 
  ancestors. 
  Other 
  species 
  of 
  

  

  